Minnie the Ascended
by Aros001
Summary: The love Minnie feels for her sibling is deemed a sin and she is thus barred from Heaven's gates. But there are those from behind the gate that disagree. And one in particular who will judge her very soul.
1. Doubt

**Part 1: Doubt**

"I'm sorry, Redeemer, but I'm afraid I cannot let her through." The saint of Heaven's gate told the angel.

"She has been through so much. And we have never seen a soul from the Underworld as pure as this." The Redeemer gestured to the blond child sitting amongst the clouds, looking downward to where she'd rather be…and who'd she'd rather be with.

"Surely an exception can be made?" The angel asked.

St. Peter raised his eyebrow in small surprise. "It is unusual to see you pleading against Heaven's judgment, Redeemer."

The angel warrior avoided meeting the saint's eye. "I mean no disrespect, great saint, it's just…I have seen the sacrifice around this girl. Her power, perverse demon spawned that it is, she gave up with no hesitation to her brother, though he threw every last bit of his envy at her in hatred. She gave her life to save his. And when facing the demon HIM, the young Reaper redeemed himself, staying behind to stall the demon so that we could escape. So much has been given so that we could come to this point."

St. Peter flipped through his book. "According to our observants Clockwork has taken the boy away from where HIM can reach him and placed his soul back into Halloweentown, Lord only knows why." He meant that last part quite literally.

"I know it is not my place to question the rules our Lord has laid down." The Redeemer apologized again. "But aside from her single sin, is she truly unworthy to pass our gates?"

St. Peter sighed, his heart heavy because of what he knew he had to say. "Your reasoning is valid and your heart speaks truth, warrior. If it were not for this one sin you would not have even had to stop at the gate for me to allow you inside. But lust is one of the deadly sins, including the lust for a sibling, no matter how many sacrifices have been made it their name. I'm sorry, Redeemer. Believe me, I am. But she cannot enter."

The angel warrior could see it on the saint's face. This was something he did not wish to do, but like the Redeemer, he had no choice in the matter.

"Where is she to go now?" The angel asked as he looked over to her, her back still towards the both of them. "Back to the Underworld?"

"No, that'd be too dangerous. As HIM said the girl is the key to controlling the creature. If he or some other tyrant were to reacquire her the results would be catastrophic, and that's nothing compared to if the creature itself were to devour her."

The Redeemer looked at him with shocked eyes. "Then…to a realm of purgatory?"

The saint tilted his head downwards in shame. "It is not a fate she deserves, but it is the only option we have to keep not only her safe, but the rest of existence as well."

"And what about the creature?"

"The Lord knows Clockwork's plan and is allowing him to go through with it. He trusts the ghost of time, so we'd be wise to do so as well."

The conversation was over. The angel warrior hesitated greatly to turn around so that he could go over to Minnie.

This ruling was not out of the cruelty of anyone's heart. Lust could not be allowed into the kingdom of Heaven and sending her back home would only cause further harm to befall her. But still…to send this child into purgatory…a limbo of sorts between Heaven and Hell, a place where no one could reach her…it was a place where suffering would cleanse her of her sin, but…the angel warrior knew with all his heart she never should even be considered to go there. Though the love she sought was a form of lust, she sought it with the purest of intentions. She did not deserve this.

For one of the first times ever the Redeemer considered lying to the child. Lying that while she could not enter past the gates, she was welcome to return home and help her sibling. It would go against everything he'd ever believed in to lie and defy Heaven's judgement. But it would also go against everything he'd ever believed it to allow a pure soul to suffer unjustly.

He stood still by the saint, not lifting his feet, knowing that as soon as he moved he would have to make his decision.

"You know, there is a third option you haven't considered."

The angel and the saint bolted upward at the voice, recognizing it instantly. They looked and saw from above the gate an angel descend to join them. The blond angel landed with the grace of the dancer she'd once been.

"Guardian Deedee!" The saint said, surprised by her sudden appearance.

The Redeemer placed his hand over his chest to give salute. "Angel of purity, you honor me with your presence."

"Why thank you, Redeemer." Deedee lifted her dress slightly to do a formal bow to the angel. "I was just eavesdropping in on your conversation and thought you might like it if I chimed in."

A glimmer of hope filled the angel's eye. This woman, this guardian angel, she was high up in Heaven and close to God. If there was anyone who could find salvation for Minnie, it would be her.

"You said something about a third option." St. Peter asked, hopeful for anything good.

"Yes. The third option which is that you guys are completely wrong." Deedee stated.

It took the saint and the angel a moment to process her words. "…Come again?" Peter asked.

"I'm saying that there is the possibility that your judgements over the girl are wrong." Deedee clarified.

St. Peter was not sure what to say. "I mean no offence to your wisdom, guardian, but I am simply following the rules that are laid out for all souls that wish to enter the kingdom of Heaven. Rules created by the Lord himself. I'm well aware of how cruel it must seem to bar her from our safety simply for her lust for her brother, but I fail to see how-"

"But that's the problem right there." She interrupted him. "You both keep labeling her feelings as lust. But what if that's not what it is?"

The saint raised his hand to comment but then stopped. He thought for a moment and started to see what she was getting at.

"How can we know for sure?" He asked. The Redeemer stood between the two, not quite getting it yet.

"Let me talk to her." Deedee requested. St. Peter nodded and she walked over to where Minimandy sat.

She placed her hand softly on the child's shoulder, startling her slightly and getting her attention.

"Hello, I'm Deedee. You're Minnie, right?"

"Ye-yes." Minnie said, in slight awe of the angel before her. In the past few hours she'd seen nothing but death, destruction, and sin. It felt strange to her to be with a being who seemed to be radiating kindness and sanctuary.

Deedee sat down next to her on the cloud. "Wow, you really do look like Mandy. Everyone got really worried when they heard she was going to be a mother, but I think they underestimated her."

Minnie was uncertain of this woman. "Please, I do not mean to rush you, oh blessed angel, but Heaven's ruling….what fate have they deemed?"

Deedee remembered that this girl usually had a much more formal manner of speaking. But judging from the pleading look in her eyes, formality was taking a back seat to her fear over what was happening in the Underworld.

"They're still deciding that." Deedee said with a half-truth. "Given what happened back in the Realm of Flesh and Blood…and the things that came to light from that…they have a bit more to talk about."

Minnie looked down in sadness, knowing exactly what the angel referred to.

Deedee placed a hand on her back to comfort her. "You kept this hidden for a long time, didn't you?" She asked softly. "One, because you knew you shouldn't feel this way about him, and two, because you were afraid he wouldn't feel the same way. Am I right?"

Minnie placed her fingertips together, struggling internally with what to say and also how to feel.

Deedee hated that she was making the child feel like this. "May I ask you a question?"

It took her a minute but eventually Minnie gave a small nod.

"Do you love your brother?"

Minnie remained silent still.

"You aren't sure, huh?" Deedee said, sympathy in her voice. "Yeah, Heaven's not sure either. They're banking more on it being lust and by the look of things, you're not entirely sure if they're wrong."

Minnie shut her eyes tightly, waiting for the final nail to be struck in.

"Would you like to find out for sure?" Deedee asked.

Minnie opened her eyes back up. She looked at the angel. _"To find out…?"_

"I…I don't…how?" Minnie finally asked.

Deedee smiled and got up. "Let's go talk to the Wingmaker."

The Redeemer overheard their conversation. "The Wingmaker? Are you sure?"

Deedee turned to him. "He probably would be the best person to judge her soul directly, unless of course you want to bring her directly up to the big guy."

Minnie got between them. "My apologies for interrupting, but who is this Wingmaker?"

Deedee answered her question. "He's a bit of a lesser known angel from up here. You know that old expression "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings"? Basically he's the guy who listens for that bell."

"…I…I am a tad confused by your meaning." Minnie said.

Deedee nodded. "Yeah…I think he'll be able to explain it better than I can." Deedee grabbed Minnie by the arm and they started flying. "So let's go see him!"

Minnie held on tightly to the angel's arm as they ascended upwards, not yet used to flying by the strength of someone else's wings. The Redeemer followed closely behind.

For several miles they soared through the clouds, each layer becoming whiter and whiter as they made their way up. Finally they broke through a top layer and landed upon it. The sun warmed the ground of the cloud pleasantly and basking in its rays was a single small cottage. Deedee went up to the door first and knocked. "Mr. Wingmaker?" She called out.

Shifting noises were heard within the home. "Deedee? That you, girl?" An old and gruff voice asked. The group could hear footsteps approaching the door. "Where ya been at, child? It's been a while since you visited me." The door opened and the Wingmaker stepped out, smiling as he saw Deedee, but his eye then instantly caught sight of Minnie. "…Well I'll be…"

Minnie looked up at the Wingmaker, not quite sure what she expected him to look like. The best way to describe him was…well…he looked kind of like how most people would describe Geppetto in a Pinocchio story; half-moon spectacles, overalls, white hair with a moustache. The difference here being the Wingmaker looked like Geppetto if he'd been put through a taffy puller, as he had a height and limb length that would match perfectly the towering heights of her father and uncle. Minnie stood back carefully from this man, wary of the look he was giving her. That however did not stop him from reaching his long arms out to her and suddenly lifting her up by her armpits high into the air.

"Oh-ho! Minimandy! It's been a good long never since I last saw you!" The Wingmaker exclaimed happily. "How have you been doing? Other than being dead, I mean."

Minnie was in noticeable uncomfortable confusion. "I…fine?" She said quickly, hoping the old man would put her down.

The Wingmaker looked puzzled as to why she was skeptical of him until Deedee tugged on his shirt.

"Uh, sir, she doesn't know who you are, remember?"

The Wingmaker looked off to the side as he racked through his memories. "Oh yeah." He set the child back down. "Sorry about that, Minnie. It's just…well, I've always wanted to meet you. You and your brother. Admittedly I was afraid I was going to meet you ten years ago, given how my grandson took the news of your mother cheating on him. Ah, but good old Grimmy. Took you in as his own and raised you proper, he did. I was endlessly proud of him for that."

Minnie was a bright girl and it didn't take her long to put the pieces together. "Lord Death…he is your grandson?"

"On his mother's side, yep. Which makes me your great-grandfather!" The Wingmaker looked for no permission as he quickly grabbed Minnie and hugged her tightly, his tall build causing him to lift her quite far off the ground again. Minnie just kind of let him as she wasn't sure what to do otherwise.

The Redeemer scratched the back of his head. "Great Wingmaker…we did come here for a reason."

"Does it have anything to do with why my great-granddaughter's wings are not showing?" He asked. Minnie herself had forgotten all about them. They'd been present when Junior had reaped her but they were not with her anymore.

"They vanished after HIM got ahold of her." The Redeemer explained.

"HIM?!" The Wingmaker exclaimed. "What the bloody hell did you get involved in that put you in that bastard's line of sight?!" He asked Minnie.

"Well…what happened was-"

"No, shut up, I have a faster way." He interrupted. He set Minnie back down and turned her around. He pushed his finger lightly against her back and, like a Pez dispenser, a feather popped out.

"What are you-" The Redeemer started to asked.

"Again, hush. I'm doing a thing." The Wingmaker plucked the feather out and held it before himself. The feather started to glow and out from it shot several orbs of light, each showing different events of what had happened throughout the day, from Zero informing Minnie of her brother's trouble to Deedee bringing her here. The one orb that the Wingmaker focused the most on showed the Nergalized Grim Jr holding his sister's soul in his arms, having just freshly reaped her.

"Interesting design choice for the wings." He commented. "A bit too metal for my taste but not bad for a first try."

Minnie watched the orbs as they floated around them, seeing the hulking Demon Reaper as it decimated her uncle's beloved town.

The feather finally evaporated into the air and the orbs went with it. The Wingmaker walked back to his door. "Come on inside. You two can inform me on what Minnie's soul could not show me."

 **Author's notes: Sorry about the slow start but it gets better from here. I thought it was about time for me to write a more Minnie centered story and I figured Heaven's judgement of her soul would be the best place to start. This won't be as long as some of my other stories, but I do hope it'll be good.**

 **I'll try to update frequently because, believe me, I know it can be a pain waiting to find out what happens next it a story you're reading.**

 **Thank you!**


	2. Trial

**Part 2: Trial**

They all sat inside the Wingmaker's cottage. He'd poured them all tea while the Redeemer explained the entire situation.

"So not only are they barring her from the gates, but they're going to send her into purgatory?" The Wingmaker asked the angels to clarify.

The Redeemer nodded. "It may be the only safe option for her."

"I wouldn't exactly call a realm where people are cleansed through suffering safe." The old man retorted, sight anger in his voice.

"Neither would we, which is why we've come to you." Deedee explained.

The Wingmaker stroked his chin. "I see… Deedee, you don't believe that what she feels is lust and that she should be allowed in. Redeemer, you simply do not wish to allow such a pure soul to suffer and are looking for anything to save her from that fate." The two angels nodded. The Wingmaker looked over to his great-granddaughter, who had been sitting in silence this whole time. "And Minnie…you don't care about either of these things, do you? You just want to go home."

Minnie looked sadly into her cup. "I can feel it…that my brother is in trouble…"

"Well of course he's in trouble, dear, there's a giant monster stomping around that wants to eat everyone in existence. If it wasn't for the fact that we're all souls up here with no actual biology we'd all probably need a good change of pants."

"Then please, thee must then understand!" Minnie pleaded. "I fear the worst may beest happening to mine brother at this very moment, and so much time hath been lost already! If't be true thy words can changeth anyone's mind…!"

The Wingmaker held up a finger to pause her. "Time works differently up here than it does down there. It can be difficult to explain how sometimes, but a general rule is that anyone who leaves from here will always arrive just in time to wherever they've headed. We can take as much time as we need. Your brother will see you when he needs to."

Minnie clung to these last words. "So you will help?"

The Wingmaker sat quietly for a few minutes, as though he was pondering something. "I've seen the events your soul has experienced. Tell me, Minnie, do you know why your wings are gone?"

"I imagine the sin HIM filled me with corrupted and destroyed them." She guessed.

"Trick question, sweetie." He said. "They're actually still there, just too weighed down to see anymore."

Minnie tilted her head slightly, waiting for him to go on.

"My title is a bit misleading." He explained. "I do not make wings, for every soul already has wings when it is formed. Every pure deed makes the wings lighter and every sin makes them heavier. My job is to make the adjustments accordingly. Eventually I got associated with wings growing out and so people started calling me the Wingmaker. I never bothered to correct them because, well, I come from a time before names were a thing. Wingmaker was the closest I ever got to having a real name other than 'daddy'.

"You laid down your life for your brother before your death." He went on. "Twas the noblest thing you could have done, so of course your wings were in full bloom when he reaped you. And when HIM tried to take you for his own he weighed your wings down by the sins of lust and wrath. And thus, here we are."

"So what happens now?" Deedee asked.

"Now…" The Wingmaker said, not looking away from Minnie. "I check the adjustments. Normally I let it be an automatic process (saves me a lot of time), but considering the situation, and that I'm allowed to occasionally play favorites, I shall do it personally."

"And should you find your soul to be pure and her wings reveal themselves again, we she be able to pass through Heaven's gates?" The Redeemer questioned.

"I make no promises." The Wingmaker said sternly. "I can only tell you what may happen, because the consequences will be great regardless of what happens and you deserve to know what may come, Minnie." He looked straight at her with grave expression, letting her know how serious this was. "If your wings come back and your soul is strong and pure enough, then perhaps it will be safe (relatively speaking) for you to venture back down into the Underworld to aid your family, as your soul could be great enough to resist any of the forces that would wish to ensnare it to control the beast. This is a big maybe.

"However, this adjustment will come with great risk to you. I will be looking deep into your soul, deeper than the gates of Heaven seldom choose to. I will see every sin from every corner of your life, including those buried deep within yourself that perhaps you yourself don't even know of. These sins will weigh on your wings. And if the sin becomes too great for them to bear, you will fall, in the VERY Biblical sense."

Deedee and the Redeemer's eyes went wide. "She could-….she could become a fallen angel?" The warrior asked in fear. The thought of Hell getting their hands on a soul such as hers…

"Would you be able to stop the adjustments before it gets to that point?" Deedee asked.

"Are you asking me to be unfair?" He asked her bluntly.

"She's your great-granddaughter."

"It is my great-granddaughter's choice as to what will happen." He said with crossed arms. "She knows that there are things that happen for a reason with a reason. No, I cannot stop my adjustments until we are done. What she will experience as a fallen will be far worse than what she'd experience in purgatory and that is why I am giving her warning. She can give up now and hope that Clockwork's plan will save her kin or she can risk her soul on a love that may be nothing more than a delusion. It is her soul, her sins, her choice."

He looked right at her. "What do you choose?"

Minnie looked right into his eyes and clenched her fist.

"I wilt pass any trail I must to save my brother." She said determinedly.

The Wingmaker studied her carefully. "I'll be the judge of that."

He got up from where they sat around the coffee table and walked over to his trunk in the corner of the room. From there he pulled out a small two-sided scale. He set it on the table and went over the Minnie, placing his hand on her back and pulling out a feather, just as he had before. He placed the feather on one end of the scale. He reached into his pocket and pulled out another feather and placed it on the other end.

"This feather represents your soul." He pointed at the feather he'd plucked from her. "Your virtues will cause this end to raise above the other feather. Your sins will cause it to sink."

"Tis like the scales of Justice in ancient Egypt." Minnie pointed out.

"Where do you think Ma'at got the idea?" The Wingmaker said proudly before returning to a straight face. "I'll ask you once more, for when we begin we cannot go back, are you sure you wish to do this, Minnie? I will ask you many things you'd rather not answer and the trail of the soul brings to light many things about yourself you'd rather not know. Are you sure?"

Minnie took in a deep breath and nodded. "I am close to mine goal. Thee sayeth I may regret mine decision, but I wilt for certain be in regret if 't I nev'r taketh this risk and simply wonder what could has't been."

She had made up her mind. It was time.

The Wingmaker nodded back, respecting her determination. "Alright then, Minnie. First question: how often do you masturbate to the thought of your brother?"

The Redeemer and Deedee both spat out their tea and Minnie turned a shade of red so bright that she might have passed out if she was still alive.

"GREAT SAINT! SHE IS BUT A CHILD!" Redeemer yelled, having momentarily lost his head over the unexpected question.

"What? It's a simple and straightforward question." The Wingmaker responded, completely unfazed. "Now Minnie, your ans-"

"NEVER!" She screamed with great insistence. "I HAVE NEVER ONCE ENGAGED IN SUCH AN UNDIGNIFIED AND FOWL MANNER! HEAVEN WEEPS FOR THE DAY THAT I WOULD EVER EVEN CONSIDER SUCH-"

"Alright, alright, settle down." The Wingmaker said. "Look." He pointed at the scale. Minnie's feather had been lifted above the other. "You speak the truth. See? That wasn't so bad."

Deedee scratched her head in embarrassment. "Wingmaker…was there really no other question you could have asked instead of that one?"

"Sorry, but I figured that question would be the best one to help put you all a little at ease."

The Redeemer looked around at the redness of the girls' faces. "I do not think it worked."

"One of the big things you all were wondering was if Minnie's feelings towards Junior are love or lust, right?" The Wingmaker asked. "Lust is mainly sexual and physical desire, the want for that kind of pleasure. She is a child, yes, but she is a child of the Underworld and these kinds of things are certainly not kept hushed up around children. She knows what it is, but has never done it, not even to simulate what it would be like to be with him. Thus that gives a pretty big clue that she does not want to be with him purely out of sexual desire. Could it still be lust that drives her feelings and not love? Possibly, but it's not as likely now when you think about it."

Minnie sat across from him, looking straight down into the floor, heat radiating off her blushing red face. "Thee didst warn of harsh trials. I nev'r could has't imagined this would beest one of them."

The Wingmaker adjusted his collar. "Well…I don't know if this will make you feel better or not…but the next few questions will not be as much fun…"

…


End file.
